
Th4 Kings choice. 





Class ?S 6 Z 5* , 
Copyright^? 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT: 



31jp 

A PURIM SKETCH 



$jj 58utl| ffirut 



NEW YORK 

" The Jewish Book Concern " 
Copyright, 1910, by Bloch Publishing Co., New York 



75^ 



DRAMATIS PERSONS 



THE KING 


JEPTHAH'S DAUGH 


HERALD 


TER 


SARAH 


HANNAH 


HAGAR 


NAOMI 


REBECCA 


RUTH 


LEAH 


JUDITH 


RACHEL 


QUEEN OF SHEBA 


MIRIAM 


VASHTI 


DEBORAH 


ESTHER 


Scene: The Throne Room. 


Place : Kingdom of Judea. 


Time: Near Purim. 





Appropriate traditional music should be played 
softly during the play. Suitable selections will 
be found in "Songs of Zion," $1.50; the Union 
Hymnal, 50 cents ; Moses' Sabbath School 
Hymnal, 45 cents; the Jewish Hymnal, 25 cents. 



GI.D 2084^ 



5typ King a Centre 



Herald: To £/*? King: (Bowing) 

Most mighty King, 

Great news I bring! 

Outside there wait (Points) 

In royal state, 

Ladies bright and damsels fair ; 

Prithee, wherefore are they there? 
King: 

Herald, sound thy trumpet call, 

Be it known to one and all, 

The King will this day choose as Queen, 

The one he will most worthy deem. 

And she alone will be that one 

Who has the most for Israel done. 

After all of these appear, (Points outside) 

My choice you'll hear. 
Herald : ( Goes out and ushers in Sarah) reads 
off a scroll: 

Sovereign, King, 

The first — I bring. 
Sarah : (Enters and bows before the King, who 
acknowledges her presence by standing and 
waving his sceptre over her head.) 

The Mother of Israel, you behold, 

Abraham's wife in days of old. 

I shared with him his cares and all, 

And helped him obey the dear Lord's call. 

Whatever good he did in life, 

Is due, in fact, to me, his wife. 

So, if a Queen you hope to see, 

Where's a better one than me? 



King: (Sadly): 

Pass on, pass on, Sarah of old. 

My choice is not yet to' be told. 
Herald : ( Ushers in Ha gar and Ishmael) reads: 

Second, she 

Comes to thee. 
Hagar: (Bozus before the King but keeps her 
arm always around Ishmael 's neck.) 

Hagar asks no queenly throne, 

No wealth or honor here to own ; 

Well content is she to roam 

From place to place, from home to home ; 

For all she wants of life's sweet joy 

Is Ishmael, her own dear boy. 

So King, choose others here to keep 

My son and I, another land will seek. 
King: 

Hagar, farewell, this happy day, 

God's blessing be with you alway — 

And now, herald, bring to me 

One who wants my Queen to be. 
Herald : 

O, King of might, 

She's third by right. (Brings in Rebecca) 
Rebecca : 

Throughout all time, I stand as first 

To help the weary, quench the thirst 

Of men, of beasts and all who want ; 

For me Eleazar came to hunt, 

And me he chose for Abraham's son, 

For Isaac's bride was I then won, 

Oh, mighty King, your Queen must be, 

Kindly, good, and fair to see ; 

If, then, you wish to fill this place 

(Points to chair) 

Could not Rebecca gain that grace? 



King: (Shakes his head sadly) 
Again, alas, she's not the one, 
Who must sometime my Queen become. 

Herald: (Reads) 
Sisters two, 
Come next to you. 

(Rachel and Leah come in hand in hand 
and make obeisance to the King) 

Leah : 

Of life, of joy, of hope, of love, 
Leah has not much to tell, 
For all she knew was but to shove 
Herself and all she loved so well, 
Into the background of home's misery ; 
For Leah, forsaken, behold in me, 
And this my sister, Jacob's choice, 
Asks you, O King, to hear her voice. 

Rachel : 

Fourteen years long did Jacob toil, 
Tilling, ploughing in the soil, 
Working hard for Rachel's sake ; 
At last a bride, his love could take. 
If my sister loved him too, 
What was there I could do? 
Was it wrong for me to go 
Through the world with Jacob so? 
Now, oh King, if thou like'st me, 
Cannot I your fair Queen be? 

King: 

Alas, alas, I know full well, 

My Queen must both of you excel. 

(Waves them out kindly) 

Herald : 

King, behold, 

This maid of old ! ( Ushers in Miriam) 



Miriam : (Comes in masterfully and joyfully) 
Sound aloud the trumpet's blast, 
Israel's sorrows now are past, 
Jehovah's hand hath showed its might, 
Jehovah's love hath led us right. 
O'er the sea, led by me, 
Israel come, cheerily, 
Singing hymns to God above, 
Crying loud His mighty love. 
Stand, oh King, let us raise 
Songs of glory in His praise. 
Miriam greets thee thus, to-day ; 
Does thou want her for alway? 

King: 

Though thou'rt brave and fair to see, 
I cannot take thee, maid, to me ; 
My Queen must loving, peaceful be. 

{Shakes hands with her but has the 
herald lead her out) 

Herald : (Reads) : 
Gracious King, 
Her, next I bring. (Points to Deborah) 

Deborah : ( Comes in very stately, but yet cour- 
teously) 
I greet thee, sovereign peer, 
I bow most friendly to thee here, 
I wait the judgment thou'll bestow 
If I'm the Queen to be, or no. 
But if thou choosest a mate to-day, 
Ponder well what I now say : 
Deborah needs no word of praise, 
No one to sing her worth in lays, 
But as of old in Israel stands 
A judge of might in many lands — 
So, not thy favor here to< sue, 
Am I, but as an equal mate for you. 



King: 

Pass on, Deborah, judge of old, 

For thee my choice shall not be told ; 

My Queen must grace this festival 

With humble air and love withal. 
Herald: (Reads): 

From near, from far, 

They come, they come, 

And thus, I usher 

In another one. 

(Brings in Jepthatis daughter) 
Jepthah's Daughter: 

King, O King, let me go 

Back to all that love me so. 

What have I to offer you 

But a life cut short and new ? 

Jepthah's daughter longs to be 

With her father, verily 

Therefore, give me leave, I pray, 

To regain him on this day. 

Sacrifices of long ago 

Rewards must get, as you know. 
King: 

Return unto thy father dear, 

I would not keep thee unhappy here. 
Herald : (Reads) : 

In joy, in sorrow, still they're here 

Mighty King, your sight to cheer. 

(Ushers in Hannah) 
Hannah : 

Full many a grief I've had to bear, 

Many the woes I've had to share; 

And now at last before thy throne, 

My lowly lot I humbly own ; 

But, King of might, I ask of thee, 

Has Hannah not proved worthily 

That Queen, or mother, anywhere, 



She a throne or home might share? 

Has she not shown a patriot's life 

As great as Maccabeas' strife? 
King: 

A mother's love, oh Hannah dear, 

Thou hast shown with patriot's cheer; 

But now, alas, thou canst not be 

My choice, my Queen in verity 

Young and fair and gay must be. 
Herald : (Reads) : 

Again, and once again I bring 

More and more before thee, King. 

(Brings in Ruth and Naomi) 
Naomi : 

I care not for kingly pomp, 

Courtly charms and worldly cheer ; 

All I love and all I own, 

Behold, oh King, in this maid here. 

From her home she went with me 

Into lands, far, far away; 

Lived and toiled and laughed for me, — 

Naomi now for Ruth will pray : 

Take her, King, thy Queen to be, 

None more worthy is than she. 
Ruth : 

Nay, I pray thee, list to me; 

I care not thy Queen to be. 

Long, long ago, my love I left, 

Now alas, I am bereft. 

In the fields I gleaned one day, 

There Boaz crossed my way; 

There Naomi loved us too, 

What could I now give to you? 
King: 

On, on, time passes fast, 

Be assured thy memories last ; 

8 



Yet perhaps the next will be 

She who soon will love but me. 
Herald: (Answers King's words zvhile usher- 
ing in Judith) 

Maybe she 

That one will be. 
Judith : 

With this spear I greet thee, King, 

Which did much joy to Israel bring. 

It made Holofernes keep 

Eternal rest, eternal sleep ; 

It brought to Judah hope and rest ; 

And it sought the Assyrian's breast. 

Israel's hope rose high in air 

When this, my sword, his head did bear. 

So, mighty King, behold this one 

Who should by right thy Queen become. 
King : 

Nay, not for me, warrior maid, 

Has thy sword so hard inveighed ; 

My lovely Queen, the one I seek, 

Though courageous, must be meek. 

(Waves her out) 
Herald : 

A stately lady seeks this way 

To gain thy love and crown to-day. 
Queen of Sheba: (Very stately and slightly 
proud) 

Need I whom once the wisest King 

Did bow before, in low devotion, 

Seek thy smile to win, thy praise to wring 

By even the slightest motion ? 

Nay, King, if me thou 'dst win 

Bend even now thy royal knee, 

Lowly, as Solomon oft I'd see — 

For the Queen of Sheba here greets thee ! 



King: 

Away, away, what thou hast done, 
Brought bad to all, and good to none! 

Herald: (Reads): 

She is next, and then but one 
Remains, and after her, none. 

(Brings in Vashti) 

Vashti : 

I stand rebuked in Fame's large book 
Because I would not let the King's friends 

look 
Upon my shame, my queenly slavery, 
Yet I was right ; but for my bravery, 
I yielded up all life's sweet joy, 
Which before, naught could alloy. 
Vashti has not much to offer, 
But to the King, her love would proffer, 
Since to Ahasuerus I could not be 
Submissive, let me be it to thee ! 

King: 

Nay, Vashti, something tells me true, 

(Points to his heart) 
My Queen comes, but 'tis not you. 
Your suffering grieves much alas, 
But time and that together pass ; 
Farewel 1 , for now the last I'll see, 
Oh, may that one, my dear Queen be ! 

Herald: (Reads): 

Last of all, I sound her name 
Known to all in glorious fame; 
King, I pray you, give her heed, 
Perhaps of her you stand in need. 

( Ushers in Esther) 

Esther : (Bows low but with dignity) 
Nothing much has Esther done 
For Israel small good has won ; 

10 



One day, alone, she tried to save 

Her people from a dreadful grave. 

But what she did, and how she knew, 

Mordecai has told to you. 

Mordacai, her uncle dear. 

Saved Israel, from fear. 

Therefore, what can Esther say 

To win thy praise and love to-day? 
King: (Jumps up and goes to her) 

At last, at last, my Queen has come, 

At last, at last, I see the one 

Who worthy is my Queen to be 

And celebrate this feast with me. 

Esther, this is Purim Day, 

Israel's happiest, so they say; 

This the feast of all the year 

When Jewish hearts are full of cheer. 

So, my Queen, I here greet thee, 

May we always happy be. 

(Leads her up to the throne; the other 
women Hie into the throne room and circle 
about the tzvo thrones. Music plays all 

the while.) 
King: 

You other maids of Bible fame, 

Each of you I would retain, 

For each has done upon this earth 

Something good, for Israel's worth; 

But to-day, my Queen is she, 

Because of her this feast have we ; 

So I bid you all farewell, 

For how long, I cannot tell ; 

But before you go your way, 

Cheer for Esther and Purim Day. 
All: 

Hail, Esther, Queen alway, 

Hail to you and Purim Day. 

Curtain. 



II 



